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8 Ways To Improve Your Indoor Garden Crops

You cannot dispute the fact that indoor gardening is fast gaining popularity as a means of growing fresh vegetables. And with the numerous benefits associated with it, it’s easy to understand why. No more missing fresh greens during the winter since you can garden all year round. You are no longer affected by increased prices from your local grocery store. In fact, you are now in a position to become a supplier yourself. As if the food security is not reason enough, indoor plants cleanse the air in your house and are aesthetically pleasing.

However, just like any other farming endeavor indoor gardening can become frustrating especially if the yields are low. But before you give up have you considered what you might be doing wrong? Follow along as we share 8 tips that we believe will significantly increase your productivity.

1. Find More Windows

You don’t need to have gone through school to know what photosynthesis is. You are, therefore, aware that plants need photosynthesis to survive and for photosynthesis to occur, there must be light. Hence, for this reason, the location you choose for indoor gardening should have access to sufficient light.

You can achieve this by selecting the room with most windows. For instance, a corner room is perfect since it has windows on both sides. More exposure to sunlight translates to healthier plants with higher yields.

2. Use Mobile Planters

If you have opted for the tower or vertical planters for your indoor gardening, make sure they come with wheels attached. This then means you can easily move your plants around. Since you rely on the window to let in light, your plants may be left in darkness as the sun moves. The mobile planter thus allows you to seek the sunlight wherever it goes.

Also, it will significantly minimize your cleaning efforts. It will be much easier for you to clean the loose soil and dirt that falls on the ground. Not to mention you are bound to pour water on the floor too.

3. Consider an Alternative Source of Light

Sure, we said more windows more light but winter will come. And the light received during this period may not be enough for the plants to thrive. You may, therefore, need to purchase a grower light to ensure a sustainable source of light.

Your light will need to have the same wavelength as the sun. This is to mean that you cant use the normal light bulb. Place the light as close as possible to the plants but at a safe distance so that it does not burn the plants. Make sure you review all the available lights available to find out which is the best for your indoor garden.

4. Ensure the Plants have Adequate Space

If you are new to indoor gardening and farming altogether you may not realize this but plants need breathing space. You may argue that the more seedlings you plant on a particular space, the more yields you get. Well, you could not be further from the truth.

When the plants begin to grow and find that there is no space to grow into they simply die. Again, the container you choose should be large enough to accommodate the type of plant you are growing. Use different planter sizes depending on the plant and make regular checks to ensure the plants do not overgrow their containers.

5. Soil Nutrients

Your plant’s source of nutrients is the soil. Plants grown outside have a consistent source of nutrients since the soil is replenished naturally. However, for plants grown indoors, the natural minerals in the soil are quickly taken up by the plant or leached out during watering. This leaves it up to you to keep the soil healthy.

You can opt to use organic fertilizers or hydroponic nutrients to nourish your plants. For example, Miracle-Gro is one of those products we can recommend. These will ensure that the soil is rich in nutrients all year round and hence better produce.

6. Consider Worms as a Means of Plant Nutrition

Worms are a great way to improve the soil nutrient composition. The right kind of warms. Like those used for fishing. Walk into any shop that sells fishing equipment and they will sell you the worms at relatively cheap prices. Or you can simply dig them out from your outside garden if you have one. Careful not to carry in any pests though as that is a decision you will regret. These worms are good for soil aeration and the castings they shed are essential plant nutrients.

7. Use the Right Amount of Water

This comes without saying. Plants need to be watered to survive. You will need to be careful though. In outside gardens, if the rainfall is too much then the plants risk getting destroyed. The situation is similar for inside gardens.

You will need to use just the right amount of water needed to yield results. If you use less, the plant dies. Use more and the plant dies. Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds. You can easily keep track of the amount of water used through a soil moisture meter but you will first need to conduct a research to determine the amount of water a particular plant needs. Also, ensure that the plants you choose to grow have the same watering needs. This makes the watering process easy for you.

8. Maintain Optimum Temperatures

Most plants will do well at temperatures between 65-75F. Too high temperatures will lead to small and weak plants while too low temperatures result in yellow leaves that eventually fall off. No leaves no photosynthesis.

To combat this, you can adopt the use of an Autopilot Cooling Thermostat. You will then choose the required temperatures for day and night and your work is done. The thermostat automatically maintains the set temperatures by the use of a built-in photocell.

To successfully grow your plants indoors, you need to understand that growing plants outside is quite different from indoor gardening. The above tips are meant to help you understand how the interior environment affects the growth of your plants and how to manipulate it to your benefit. Follow them and you will realize just how rewarding indoor gardening can be.